The National Board of Review winners almost never win Oscars. That’s the curse of the NBR, which I’ve written about extensively.
So imagine how the producers of “Green Book” and the stars of “A Star is Born” felt yesterday. They won the NBR’s main awards. In the case of the latter it was Bradley Cooper for Best Director and Lady Gaga as Best Actress, Viggo Mortensen for Best Actor. “A Star is Born” actor Sam Elliot also won Best Supporting Actor.
This checks off the list for NBR’s Annie Schulhof, who has given Warner Bros. most of her awards over the last decade. “A Star is Born” is Warners. “Green Book” is Universal, so Shotgun Annie has guaranteed two big studios will pay for most of her tables at the early January shindig thrown by NBR. Annie really doubled down on Warner Bros. by giving “Crazy Rich Asians” Best Ensemble.
Tomorrow, these awards start getting real with the New York Film Critics Circle. I think we’ll see “Roma” there, and some more interesting stuff since the NYFCC has no backs to pat or pockets to be in. Schulhof also got a few in for A24 including “First Reformed,” “Lean on Pete,” “Eighth Grade,” and “Mid 90s.” Schulhof ignored SOny Pictures Classics and Fox Searchlight because they wouldn’t play her game.
But that curse– what about the curse? Last year “The Post” won Best Feature here. They have not chosen an Oscar Best Picture since 2008 with “Slumdog Millionaire.” I fear now for “Green Book.” What will this do to its chances?
Best Film: GREEN BOOK
Best Director: Bradley Cooper, A STAR IS BORN
Best Actor: Viggo Mortensen, GREEN BOOK
Best Actress: Lady Gaga, A STAR IS BORN
Best Supporting Actor: Sam Elliott, A STAR IS BORN
Best Supporting Actress: Regina King, IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK
Best Original Screenplay: Paul Schrader, FIRST REFORMED
Best Adapted Screenplay: Barry Jenkins, IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK
Best Animated Feature: INCREDIBLES 2
Breakthrough Performance: Thomasin McKenzie, LEAVE NO TRACE
Best Directorial Debut: Bo Burnham, EIGHTH GRADE
Best Foreign Language Film: COLD WAR
Best Documentary: RBG
Best Ensemble: CRAZY RICH ASIANS
William K. Everson Film History Award: THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WIND and THEY’LL LOVE ME WHEN I’M DEAD
NBR Freedom of Expression Award: 22 JULY
NBR Freedom of Expression Award: ON HER SHOULDERS
Top Films (in alphabetical order)
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Black Panther
Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Eighth Grade
First Reformed
If Beale Street Could Talk
Mary Poppins Returns
A Quiet Place
Roma
A Star Is Born
Top 5 Foreign Language Films (in alphabetical order)
Burning
Custody
The Guilty
Happy as Lazzaro
Shoplifters
Top 5 Documentaries (in alphabetical order)
Crime + Punishment
Free Solo
Minding the Gap
Three Identical Strangers
Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
Top 10 Independent Films (in alphabetical order)
The Death of Stalin
Lean on Pete
Leave No Trace
Mid90s
The Old Man & the Gun
The Rider
Searching
Sorry to Bother You
We the Animals
You Were Never Really Here
